BJP keeping civic poll candidates in capitivity: Ashok Gehlot

Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday alleged that the ruling BJP-led dispensation has kept its 91 contestants of Jaipur Municipal Corporation in "captivity" at a luxury hotel here as it feared losing the civic polls.

Jaipur: Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday alleged that the ruling BJP-led dispensation has kept its 91 contestants of Jaipur Municipal Corporation in "captivity" at a luxury hotel here as it feared losing the civic polls.

"This is for the first time that a ruling government is scared of losing polls to civic bodies and is keeping the 91 candidates who contested JMC in captivity at a luxury hotel in a sub-urban town of Jaipur since yesterday," Gehlot said after an event at PCC headquarters here.

His remarks came after reports surfaced about both BJP and Congress putting up their candidates in hotels and private accommodations fearing horse trading in the post-poll scenario.

Mayor in municipal corporations and chairman in civic bodies would be voted by the elected councillors in each of 46 civic bodies that went to polls on November 22, he said, alleging that BJP not confident of winning a majority has started keeping its flock in every civic body together at hotels.

"It shows that BJP had no trust on its contestants, nor on the party leaders, hence it is apprehending cross voting as there is no anti-defection law prevailing in the civic bodies act," he said.

Admitting that the probable councillors of Jaipur Municipal Corporation covering 91 wards have been accommodated at a luxury hotel in Sitapura area, BJP state party chief Ashok Parnami had earlier in the day said it was being done to provide training and knowledge of the municipal corporation.

Accusing the Vasundhra Raje-led government of poor law and order in the state, Gehlot said, "In last 11 months of BJP rule the public got frustrated as law and order machinery failed miserably and all public welfare schemes were stopped which the previous Congress government launched".

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, a few senior Congressmen including PCC spokesperson Archna Sharma and former MLA Pratap Singh Khachariawas went to senior BJP leader and MLA GS Tiwari's residence for a courtesy visit after Tiwari was discharged from Fortis hospital two days ago.

Tiwari is reportedly annoyed with Raje who did not accomodate him in the cabinet reshuffle last month, party sources said.